conifer

[ koh-nuh-fer, kon-uh- ]

noun

1. any of numerous, chiefly evergreen trees or shrubs of the class Coniferinae (or group Coniferales), including the pine, fir, spruce, and other cone-bearing trees and shrubs, and also the yews and their allies that bear drupelike seeds.
2. a plant producing naked seeds in cones, or single naked seeds as in yews, but with pollen always borne in cones.

conifer

/ ˈkəʊnɪfə; ˈkɒn- /

noun

1. any gymnosperm tree or shrub of the phylum Coniferophyta , typically bearing cones and evergreen leaves. The group includes the pines, spruces, firs, larches, yews, junipers, cedars, cypresses, and sequoias

conifer

/ kŏn′ə-fər /

1. Any of various gymnosperms that bear their reproductive structures in cones and belong to the phylum Coniferophyta. Conifers evolved around 300 million years ago and, as a group, show many adaptations to drier and cooler environments. They are usually evergreen and often have drought-resistant leaves that are needle-shaped or scalelike. They depend on the wind to blow pollen produced by male cones to female cones, where fertilization takes place and seeds develop. Conifers are widely distributed, but conifer species dominate the northern forest biome known as the taiga. There are some 550 species of conifers, including the pines, firs, spruces, hemlocks, cypresses, junipers, yews, and redwoods.
2. See more at pollination

Word History and Origins

Origin of conifer¹

1350–1400; Middle English conefere < Latin cōnifer coniferous, equivalent to cōn ( us ) cone + -i- + -fer -fer

Word History and Origins

Origin of conifer¹

C19: from Latin, from cōnus cone + ferre to bear

Example Sentences

Angiosperms, or flowering plants, grew back faster and denser than the previously ubiquitous conifer relatives had been.

From Slate

They also found similarly amplifying feedbacks in other permafrost-relevant processes, like the loss of boreal conifer forests due to fire -- but here, too, only at the local to regional scale.

From Science Daily

A nonnative tree-killing insect is invading northern Utah, attacking subalpine fir and potentially triggering yet another die-off of the region's long-stressed conifer forests.

From Science Daily

The president will also sign a proclamation expanding the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument by adding the 13,696-acre Molok Luyuk, or Condor Ridge, to the 330,000-acre swath of rolling oak woodlands, lush conifer forests and dramatic rock formations along Northern California’s inner Coast Range.

From Los Angeles Times

The corridor offers sightseeing, sports and history amid conifer forests, alpine passes and more — but you’ll have to slow down a bit.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• cedar
• pine